Do not allow antifreeze to come into contact with exposed areas of the body or painted surfaces of the vehicle. Wash off accidental splashes immediately with plenty of water. Remember that antifreeze is a highly toxic liquid and its ingestion, even in small quantities, can have the most serious consequences (even to the point of death). Never leave antifreeze stored in a loosely closed container and immediately collect any coolant spilled on the floor. Remember that the sweet smell of antifreeze can attract the attention of children and animals. Consult with local authorities about methods of disposal of used coolant. In many regions of the world, special collection points for various types of waste have been set up. Never pour old coolant into the sewer or onto the ground!
In recent years, non-toxic types of antifreeze have been developed, but they also require care in handling.
Regularly, in accordance with the vehicle's routine maintenance schedule (see Chapter Vehicle settings and routine maintenance), the cooling system must be drained, flushed and filled with a fresh mixture of antifreeze and water. This type of maintenance helps prevent the development of corrosion inside the cooling system and significantly increases the efficiency of the system.
During maintenance, the condition of all system hoses and the radiator filler cap must also be checked (see Chapter Vehicle settings and routine maintenance). Defective components are subject to replacement.
Be aware of the precautions that must be taken when servicing the cooling system.
Do not allow antifreeze to come into contact with exposed areas of the body or painted surfaces of the vehicle. Wash off accidental splashes immediately with plenty of water. Remember that antifreeze is a highly toxic liquid and its ingestion, even in small quantities, can have the most serious consequences (even to the point of death). Never leave antifreeze stored in a loosely closed container and immediately collect any coolant spilled on the floor. Remember that the sweet smell of antifreeze can attract the attention of children and animals. Consult with local authorities about methods of disposal of used coolant. In many regions of the world, special collection points for various types of waste have been set up. Never pour old coolant into the sewer or onto the ground!
Emptying
1. Set the parking brake and support the wheels with wheel chocks. If necessary, remove the crankcase guard. The actual maintenance procedures should be performed only after the engine has completely cooled down, i.e. at least several hours after the end of the trip.
2. After the engine has completely cooled down, remove the cap from the expansion tank neck.
If the engine is not yet completely cool, wrap the cover with a rag to reduce the risk of scalding.
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3. To drain the coolant from the radiator, disconnect the lower hose from the radiator and drain the liquid through it, then connect the hose to the radiator and tighten the hose clamp.
The coolant should be drained into a drain container of the appropriate volume, which should be prepared in advance. Try to prevent antifreeze from getting into your eyes or on exposed skin.
4. If the cylinder block is not provided with drain plugs, it is not possible to completely remove the fluid from the system and this fact must be taken into account when composing a fresh mixture.
5. While the liquid is draining from the block, disconnect the hose from the expansion tank and remove the latter. Rinse the tank with clean water (if necessary - with soap). Clean the level marks on the walls of the tank.
6. Check the condition of the radiator hoses and heating system hoses, as well as the clamps securing them to the fittings and pipes (see Chapter Vehicle settings and routine maintenance).
7. Replace damaged components (if necessary, see Chapter Engine cooling, interior heating and air conditioning systems).
Flushing
The radiator is flushed separately from the system in order to prevent the risk of blocking the thin internal channels of its heat exchanger as a result of clogging with deposits washed out of the engine water jacket.
It would also be wise to flush the heater heat exchanger separately.
1. Disconnect the upper hose from the radiator, the upper and lower hoses and insert a garden hose into the first one. Turn on the water supply and continue flushing until a clear stream starts to flow out of the lower hose.
2. In cases of particularly heavy contamination or obstruction of the radiator, remove the latter (see section Removal and installation the cooling system radiator) and perform a reverse flow flush by inserting a garden hose into the lower pipe - if you cannot achieve a positive result, take the radiator to a car service workshop for the necessary repair work.
3. Corrosion products and dense deposits are removed from the cooling system tract by chemical treatment - follow the instructions of the manufacturer of the cleaning agent you purchased.
If the system is flushed and coolant replaced regularly, there should be no need to chemically treat the system.
4. To flush the engine water jacket, remove the thermostat (see section Removal, installation and checking of the thermostat operation) and disconnect the lower hose from the radiator.
5. Insert a garden hose into the hole for the thermostat mount in the cylinder head, turn on the water supply and continue flushing until a clear stream begins to flow from the lower hose.
6. After completing the flush, set the thermostat (see section Removal, installation and checking of the thermostat operation) and restore the original hose connections.
Refueling
1. Check the condition and reliability of all cooling system hoses. Replace defective components, tighten clamps.
2. Move the interior heating control handle to maximum heating.
3. On engines OHC 1.2 and 1.4 l disconnect the temperature sensor-switch connector and unscrew the sensor from the intake manifold. Fill the coolant into the reservoir so that its level reaches the lower edge of the temperature sensor hole.
Temperature sensor switch connector
5. On dOHC engines 1.4 and 1.6 l remove the Allen key head screw from the thermostat housing and fill the coolant tank so that its level reaches the lower edge of the temperature sensor hole. Screw in the Allen key head screw, lubricating it with sealant (for example, OPEL 15 03 166), and tighten with force 15 Nm.
Check screw in the thermostat housing
There is no air bleed nipple on DOHC 1.0 and 1.2 L engines. Air comes out of the system itself when the engine is running.
6. Remove the expansion tank cap and begin slowly pouring fresh antifreeze and water mixture into the neck of the latter. Continue filling until the liquid level in the tank rises to the KALT/COLD mark on the translucent body of the latter. Squeeze the radiator hoses several times to release air locks.
If the engine has not been completely drained due to the absence of drain plugs, first pour a couple of liters of distilled water into the system and only then pour in the mixture of the required composition (or first antifreeze, then water again in the required proportions).
7. Replace the expansion tank cap.
8. Start the engine and let it warm up to normal operating temperature, then turn it off and wait until it cools down completely.
9. Inspect the cooling system components for signs of developing leaks, then check the coolant level in the expansion tank and make appropriate adjustments if necessary.
10. Tighten the expansion tank cap.
11. If equipped, install the crankcase guard.
12. Set the supply air temperature and fan speed selector knobs to maximum performance.
13. Start the engine and warm it up to normal operating temperature.
14. Finally, perform another control check of the fluid level (see Chapter Vehicle settings and routine maintenance).
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